Hadley has been a member of the Williams household her whole life; she’s practically one of the family.

Younger son, Micah, is her best friend who knows all of her secrets … particularly her secret crush for his brother, Maxx. Although Hadley accepts that he doesn’t return the feeling, shock rocks her stable world and threatens to expose her secret.

With her world turned upside down, Hadley must make a choice: tell Maxx the truth or move on with her life.

No matter what she chooses, the biggest question of her life dangles before her eyes: Can she stick to her moral compass and remain a dreamer, even if that means she’ll be alone?

Or will Maxx and his natural charm have her in the palm of his hand, compromising everything she’s ever held dear?

Hadley turned to him, caught off guard by the question. “What?” She stared at him in shock.

“Flirting with them all, throwing yourself at every guy in the room?” he continued angrily.

“Me? Flirting with them?” she asked, incredulously. Hadley let out an aggravated groan and walked along the corridor to the kitchen.

Maxx grabbed her wrist and turned her to him, pulling her close. She stared at him, her heart thudding against her chest, half terrified and half desperately wondering what he was going to do next.

Until he kissed her.

The sexual chemistry between them was like a current of electricity, drawing Hadley closer. As soon as he realised she was about to say something, he cut her off.

“Your body can tell me more than your voice can, Hadley…let me feel you,” he whispered in her ear, gently backing her up against the wall.

He kissed her before Hadley could react, his mouth overpowering hers easily. She moaned as his hands drifted over her body, teasing every inch.

The dress she wore had a discreet split, mid-thigh, and Maxx must have noticed, because he took full advantage, slipping his hand beneath the red fabric.

His mouth was hot and insistent as they kissed with a kind of desperate passion that she’d never felt before. She knew, from overhearing Maxx giving Micah dating guidance, that he preferred rushed encounters; moments of need and pure lust. Women who weren’t a distraction from work or his responsibilities.

Was she just another one of those women? How could she be, when her skin burned where he touched it?

Her hand swept into his hair, as he cupped his hand around the back of her left thigh. The moan that escaped into her mouth, as Maxx guided her legs apart, was even better. But just as she was going to reach for what she wanted, Maxx drew her leg up his, until she had it wrapped around his thigh.

She loved that he seemed so desperate for her, acting as though he’d waited as long as Hadley had, for this moment to finally happen.

It only made it all the sweeter, as he reached between them and slipped his fingers beneath the lace panties she wore.

Hadley couldn’t stop the soft moan of pleasure that came from the back of her throat, as Maxx released her from his punishing kisses and let his lips dance down her neck.

She couldn’t believe how amazing it was to feel his kisses, his hands exploring her body. When he ventured under her dress, the way he looked at her, with those hot and hungry intense eyes, had her breathless. She couldn’t even vocalise how good it was to feel his finger stroking her.

She was already struggling to breathe properly from the way he kissed her until she was desperate for air. Even then, he only released her long enough to torment her some other way.

He didn’t even give her enough time to breathe, so that she could tell him how she really felt.

Maxx pulled back from her neck, biting his full bottom lip, as he stared unashamedly at her breasts, heaving in an attempt to get air into her lungs. He delved further with his finger, rendering her blind to anything but the shooting pleasure such a touch caused.

She was lost, for what felt like forever, as the reality of what they were doing sank in. This was possibly the most erotic, most dangerous, more reckless thing she’d ever done in her life. And good God, it felt amazing.

“Maxx…” Hadley attempted to stop the whirlwind that had begun so harmlessly with a kiss, before she really lost control of the situation. She had never intended for this to move so quickly, without even a declaration of love or intentions.

Her head lolled back against the wall as Maxx went back to kissing her neck, letting his lips drift down to the top of her dress. “I-” She tried once more to tell him that she loved that; that she was relieved he’d finally seen the light.

Maxx caressed her neck with his free hand, looking her over approvingly, then, before she could speak again, he tugged her dress down to expose her bra. He kissed his way down to the hollow of her breasts, before slowly pushing the straps from both shoulders.

“Maxx, I,” she gasped as she tried to speak again. It was a complete failure, since he silenced her, perfectly, by licking her bare nipple and looking up at her with those playful eyes. It was so beautifully sensual, so unexpected, that she told herself to shut up.

The truth could wait a little longer, until she’d explored just how sinfully free Maxx could be, now that the cold, hard businessman was gone.

About the Author:

Elaine White was born and raised in the small town of Haddington, Scotland. She began writing from an early age, experiment with various writing styles.

Fighting cancer in her early teens taught her that life is short and dreams should be pursued. Now, she finds inspiration everywhere, which has led to numerous novels and series in any genre that can involve romance.

Elaine currently lives at home in Scotland with her parents and a pack of wolves cleverly disguised as one standard poodle. She is a full-time writer.